E. long. The state, which is of irregular shape, is bounded on the W., N., and E. by the districts of South Malabar and Coimbatore, and for some distance on the W. by the Indian Ocean; on the S. it is bounded by the state of Travancore. Cochin contains a total area of 1361 square miles, and a population, according to a census taken in 1875, of 598,353 souls, dwelling in 118,196 houses. The state is divided into seven táluks, or sub-districts, viz., Cochin, Cannanore, Mugundapuram, Trichur, Tallapalli, Chitur, and Cranganore.

Cochin consists for the most part of a maritime lowland hemmed in between the sea and the Ghats. It includes, however, the mountains which thus wall it out from inner India, and the lower portion is copiously watered by the torrents which pour down them. These torrents dwindle in the hot weather to rivulets, but during the rains they swell into great cataracts, rising in one instance at least 16 feet in twenty-four hours. On the lowlands, they unite as elsewhere on the western coast into shallow lakes or "backwaters," lying behind the beach line and below its level. In the monsoon the Cochin backwaters are broad navigable channels and lakes; in the hot weather they contract into shallows in many places not 2 feet deep. The vegetation is luxuriant; rich crops of rice are grown on the lowlands; the hills send down vast quantities of timber by means of the torrents. The remains of once fine forests of teak are preserved in the north-eastern corner of the state, and still form a considerable source of wealth. Coffee has of late years received much attention and promises well. The other products are the usual ones of an Indian state,—cotton, pepper, betel nut, chillies, ginger, various spices, cardamoms, arrowroot, &c. An excellent account of Cochin will be found in Dr Day's Land of the Permauls. The rájás of Cochin claim to hold the territory by desceut from Chermán Perumál, who governed the whole of the surrounding country, including Travancore and Malabar, as viceroy of the Cholá kings, about the beginning of the 9th century, and who afterwards established himself as an independent rájá. In 1776 Cochin was subjugated by and became tributary to Hyder Alí. In 1792 Tippu ceded the sovereignty to the British, who made over the country to the hereditary rájá, subject to a tribute of Rs. 100,000. The state is now in subsidiary alliance with the British Government, under a treaty dated 17th October 1809. By this engagement, which was entered into on the suppression of an insurrection on the part of the rájás of Cochin and Travancore against the British power, the Cochin chief agreed to pay, in addition to the tribute of Rs. 100,000, an annual sum, equal to the expense of maintaining a battalion of native infantry, or Arcot Rs.176,037, making an aggregate annual payment of Rs. 276,037. In return for this payment, and certain engagements entered into by the rájá, the East India Company undertook to defend the integrity of the state territory against all enemies. Sabse quently the annual tribute to the British Government was reduced to Rs. 240,000, and again afterwards to Rs. 200,000 (£20,000) at which it now stands. A British resident represents the government of India in Cochin conjointly with Travancore. The present rájá succeeded to the throne in March 1864.

The total revenue of Cochin for the Malabar year 1019 (1873-74 A.D.), amounted to £130,851, being the highest income recorded for any year; the principal items were the land revenue, £61,764; customs, £11,035; and salt, £15,713. The disbursements for the same year amounted to £111,858, leaving a surplus for the year of £18,993. The state has now the sum of £200,000 invested in British Government securities. A high school, with an average of 170 pupils, and 5 district schools are maintained by the state. Hospitals and dispensaries and a post-office are also kept

up, and a considerable sum, amounting to £13,669 in 1874, is annually spent in public works. The military force is a nominal one of 1 commissioned officer and 340 noncommissioned officers and men. The two trading ports (exclusive of the British port of Cochin) are Malipuram and Narakel, at which 31 vessels, a burden of 22,626 tons, arrived in 1873-74. The capabilities of Narakel as a port of shelter during the S.W. monsoon have been satisfactorily proved, and the mail-steamers of the British India Company touch there for four or five months of the year, when the neighbouring English port of Cochin is unapproachable.

COCHIN, a town and port of British India, belonging to the Malabar district of Madras, situated in 9° 58′ 5′′ N. lat. and 76° 13′ 55′′ E. long. The town lies at the northern extremity of a strip of land about twelve miles in length, but at few places more than a mile in breadth, which is nearly insulated by inlets of the sea and estuaries of streams flowing from the Western Ghats. These form the Cochin backwater described in the article on the Cochin state. The town of Cochin is about a mile in length by half a mile in breadth. Its first European possessors were the Portuguese, from whom it was captured by the Dutch in 1663. Under the Dutch the town prospered, and about 1778 an English traveller describes it as a place of great trade; "a harbour filled with ships, streets crowded with merchants, and warehouses stored with goods from every part of Asia and Europe, marked the industry, the commerce, and the wealth of the inhabitants." In 1796 Cochin was captured from the Dutch by the British, and in 1806 the fortifications and public buildings were blown up by order of the authorities. The explosion destroyed much private property, and for a long time seriously affected the prosperity of the town. Under Dutch rule Cochin was very populous, containing Europeans, Moplás or Musalmaus, Hindus, Arabs, Persians, and Christians of various sects, comprising natives, Armenians, Indo-Fortuguese, and those denominated Syrian Christians. The Jews have also a settlement here. They are of two classes, the Fair or White Jews, of more recent arrival and settlement in the country, and the Black Jews, who reside apart in a village outside the town. According to the census of 1871, Cochin town contains 2731 houses and a population of 13,840 souls, classified as follows:-Hindus, 3883, Muhammadans, 2174; Christians, 7783; and "Others," 46. The town is constituted a municipality, and in 1873-71 the municipal income (excluding balances) amounted to £1573 10s., and the expenditure to £1560 10s. The entrance to the port of Cochin is obstructed by a bar across the mouth of the river, and during the S.W. monsoon, which lasts for four or five months, vessels can neither enter nor depart from it in safety. Notwithstanding the difficulties of navigation, however, the port has a considerable maritime trade. In 1873-74, 171 British vessels of a burden of 108,579 tons, 27 foreign vessels of 7010 tons, and 1644 native craft of a total of 49,215 tons burden entered the port, and paid a total of £1974 as port dues,-by far the greater part, £1520, being paid by the British ships. The value of the exports in 1873-74 amounted to £755,796, and of the imports to £547,252, paying a total customs duty of £5161. A lighthouse at the south entrance of the harbour marks the entrance to the port, and is visible at a distance of 15 miles.

COCHIN CHINA, a name applied to the eastern division of the Indo-Chinese peninsula, composed of the territories of Anam proper, Tong-king, and the French colony of Cochin China. It forms a long strip of country which stretches in an arc of a circle along a coast-line of 1240 miles from 8° 30' to 23° N. lat. With a breadth of 372 miles in the north of Tong-king, it is afterwards narrowed by a chain of mountains parallel to the China Sea, and has

no more than 50 miles of breadth in the greater part of the kingdom of Hué; but in Lower Cochin China it widens out again to about 190 miles. The most western point, in Tong-king, reaches 102° 20' E. long., and the most eastern, Cape Varela, in Cochin China, is in 109° 40'. The boundaries are on the N. the Chinese provinces of Yun-nan and Kwang-se, on the E. and S. the China Sea, on the W. the Gulf of Siam, the kingdom of Cambodia, and the Laos country tributary to the Siamese empire. According to the most probable estimates the empire of Anam has an area of from 190,000 to 230,000 square miles, or about the same extent as France; while the French colony occupies about 21,630. The western limits of this empire are, however, very imperfectly determined, and the regions to the west of Tong-king are still unexplored. The N. of Cochin China is washed by the Gulf of Tong-king, a great

inlet formed by the coast of Tong-king on the W. and the island of Hai-nan and the peninsula of Lien-chow on the E. At its mouth, towards Tiger Island and the S.W. part of Hai-nan, the gulf has a breadth of about 138 English miles, which almost represents its medium breadth. Near the west coast are several islands, and towards the head of the gulf a great number of islets and banks. From soundings which have been taken throughout its whole extent, it has been found that in the middle of the entrance there is a depth of from 210 to 330 feet, which diminishes towards the coasts; and the depth is less half-way up the gulf, where the bottom is generally soft.

Passing along the coast from Cape Pak-loung, where the frontier commences between China and Tong-king, we find that all the part north of the Gulf of Tong-king is little known; it is said to be fringed with banks and rocks, and some large islands have been visited by English vessels in pursuit of pirates. The most important are the Pirate Islands, a group of multitudinous islets in a bay of which the Chinese name is Fie-tzi-long, and the Pearl Islands. Next we find the mouth of the River Lach-Huyen, which is deep, but obstructed about a mile inland by a bar preventing the entrance of any vessel drawing more than 11 feet. Next come the mouths of the River of Tong-king, Song-Coi, or Hong-kiang (Red River). The delta of this river is formed by four main branches-Cual trà lay, Cua lac, Cua

1 Cua signifies embouchure.

dhai, Cua ba lat-which communicate with each other both by natural channels, called arroyos, and by artificial canals. These are charged with alluvial matter, and produce considerable increase of soil. Mr E. Ploix, a hydrographic engineer who visited the gulf between 1857 and 1859, estimates the annual advance of the coast at about 330 feet. It is by these rivers that Ke-cho, or Ha-noi, the capital of Tong-king, can be reached. This town and the port of Ninh-hai, in the province of Hai-dzuong, were opened to foreign commerce by a treaty concluded between France and the Government of Hué, March 15, 1874. To allow a ship to pass up the river at any season its draught must not exceed 5 feet, and from the end of May to the end of November, vessels drawing 12 feet can cross the bars.

About 18° 10' N. lat. lies the island Hon-tseu, or Goats' Island, near a prominent cape about 1410 feet high. A little to the south of Hon-tseu is the point to the north of which there is only one tide in 24 hours, except during a period of two weeks, when on three or four days there are two tides of little force. At Cape Boung-Qui-hoa there is a good anchorage well sheltered by islands, of which the chief is South Watcher Island, or South Vigie. In front of Cape Lay is the little Tiger Island, where the west coast of the Gulf of Tong-king terminates. On the China Sea the coast presents successively, as we pass southward, the mouth of the River Hué, defended by a fort; the Bay of Tourane, wide, deep, and well sheltered, but unfortunately situated in an unhealthy district, and in the poorest part of the country; the Bay of Quit-Quit, a very good anchorage, and the safest on this coast during the N.E. monsoon; the Island Cu-lao-ré, or Pulo Canton; the port of Qui-nhon, or Binh dhinh, in the province of this name, opened to European commerce by the treaty of March 1874; the bay and the commodious port of Phuyen; Cape Varela, or Mui-nai, a very lofty peak visible 30 nautical miles out at sea, and to the south of the capc the port of Hon-ro, safe at all seasons of the year; the Bay of Phan-rang and Cape Padaran, or Mui-Din, districts bordered by coral banks; Cape Ke-ga; and Cape Ba-kee, which forms the limit between lower Cochin China and the kingdom of Anam. Between Cape Padaran and Cape Ba-kee the coast is low, and bordered by dangerous banks. In front are the little islands of Pulo Cecir, Catwick, and Pulo Sapate, of difficult access.

The whole of lower Cochin China being formed of alluvial deposits, its coast is very low, has little irregularity of surface, and is covered with mangroves. The different mouths of the River Cambodia or Me-kong form a delta of more than 70 miles in extent. The soil is subject to frequent changes on account of the alluvial deposits of the river, which is bordered by sand banks stretching seawards out of sight of land. At the entrance of the River Don-nai, which leads to Saigon, rises Cape St Jacques, a peak 920 feet above the level of the sea. At 45 sea-miles from the coast and from the mouths of the Me-kong, is the island of Pulo Condore, with a good port, and a penitentiary established by the French Government. On the west coast of Lower Cochin China, in the Gulf of Siam, is the port of Ha-Tien, communicating by a canal with one of the arms of the Me-kong.

To the north of Tong-king terminate the last underfalls of the high plateau of Thibet; a long chain stretches parallel to the Sea of China as far as the south of the kingdom of Anam of which it forms the western boundary. The highest point of this chain does not exceed 5250 feet. Between the last ramifications of the mountains of Thibet there descend from the plateau of Yun-nan and in a southeast direction the affluents of the great River Song-Cor or Hong-kiang, which undergoes periodic variations in the supply of its waters. In the month of March it is very

low; but every year about the month of July it leaves its channel, floods a part of the country, and rolls along with a very powerful current. Before passing Ha-noi it receives the tribute of two great rivers, known to the natives by the names of the Black River and the Clear River.

The kingdom of Anam, closely shut in between the mountains and the sea, is drained by numerous but unimportant streams. Lower Cochin China, or French Cochin China, is abundantly watered by the numerous mouths and the canals which form the delta of the Mekong or Cambodia. This river takes its rise in the mountains of Thibet, waters the southern provinces of China and the district of Laos tributary to Siam, and crosses through the kingdom of Cambodia, where it divides into three branches. The first, which does not penetrate into Cochin China, turns towards the north-west and loses itself in the Lake of Tonli Sap. The second, which takes the name of Hinder River (Hau-giang or Song-sau) flows south-east, enters Cochin China, communicates with the Sea of Siam by the Canal Vinh-te of Ha-tien and by that of Rach-gia, and enters the China Sea by two mouths. The third branch, named Front River (Tien-giang or Song-truoc), flows parallel to the preceding, divides at Vinh-long into four arms, and debouches by six mouths. These streams form numerous islands and communicate with each other by means of canals or arroyos. In spite of the length of its course and the great mass of its waters, the Me-kong cannot be utilized as a means of communication with Central China, because of the numerous ressauts and rapids which encumber its course. It is besides subject to an annual flood; the waters begin to rise in May, attain their maximum in October, and decrease until March. From the month of March to the month of May the level is almost constant. Two other streams water the east of Lower Cochin China,-the Vaico, divided into two branches, and the Donnai. These rivers communicate with each other and with the mouths of the Me-kong by numerous arroyos. The Donnai 'receives the Saigon River; and it is by this means that the largest vessels reach the town of that name.

The climate of the north of Anam differs much from that of the south. In Tong-king, though it is usual to divide the year into a dry and a wet season, there is properly speaking no dry season. In December and January the thermometer falls to 41° or 43° Fahr. Summer corresponds to the period of the rains from the end of April to the month of August; and at that time it is excessively hot. Storms are frequent, and the coasts are often visited by typhoons. At the same time Tong-king is a healthy country; the weather during four months is excellent; and the French colony of Saigon might find there--what has never been discovered in Cochin China proper-a suitable site for a sanatorium. The climate of the French colony is unhealthy for Europeans; they cannot be acclimatized. The mortality of the troops is rather high; and before their residence was shortened to two years it might be calculated at 9 or 10 per cent. for a three years' residence. The chief cause of the maladies which affect Europeans is the character of the soil. On the banks of the rivers, in the salt marshes, and along the shores of the sea, intermittent fevers of great severity are frequent. In the forest land rages the terrible wood-fever, from which the native himself cannot escape, though he lives unharmed in the midst of the rice swamps. But the great plague of Lower Cochin China is dysentery, a disease which, endemic in all warm countries, proves in Cochin China particularly fatal. It is to it that the greater part of the deaths among Europeans are to be ascribed; and they often succumb to its effects after their return to their native country. Most of the children born of European parents

in Cochin China die a short time after birth. White women are there exposed to many dangers, especially during their delivery; and there is consequently little hope of forming there a race of creoles. The native women, on the contrary, are very prolific, and suffer surprisingly little in childbirth. It is also interesting to observe that the Anamites, like the races of the extreme East, recover from wounds of the greatest severity, which would infallibly kill Europeans even in their own country.

The mean temperature of Lower Cochin China is 83° Fahr. The greatest heat in April and May within doors is 97° Fahr. In the mornings of December the temperature falls to 65° Fahr. The year is divided into the dry season, which corresponds to the N.E. monsoon, and the rainy season, which corresponds to the S.W. monsoon. What renders the climate peculiarly injurious and enervating is that, besides the very slight difference between the temperatures of day and night, the hygrometric readings are always very high. The surface of Cochin China, composed of recent alluvial deposits, is absolutely flat, and in some places is below the level of the sea. The slightness of the slope of this vast plain allows the tide to advance far inland, and the borders of the rivers to be alternately covered with water and exposed to the perpendicular rays of the sun. All the coasts are covered by mangroves (the marsh-tree of the tropics), which with their dull monotonous foliage everywhere betoken the unhealthiness of the soil.

The finest species of tiger, the royal tiger, is to be met A with from the mountains which bound Tong-king on the north as far as the south of Lower Cochin China; and short time ago it was still to be found in the wooded hills close to Saigon. The other wild animals are the panther, the rhinoceros, the elephant-which the people of Anam have not learned to domesticate-the cocoa-nut bear, the stag, the wild boar, the wild ox, and monkeys of various kinds. The domestic animals are goats, horses, buffaloes (with which the Indo-Chinese carry on the difficult and unhealthy cultivation of the rice-fields), and pigs, which are kept in great numbers. There are numerous birds of many species, which-a in all tropical regions-are remarkable for the beauty of their plumage. Among the rest may be mentioned pea-fowl, pheasants, turtle-doves, the green pigeons of Pulo Condore, paroquets, hornbills, sultana fowls, and various species of wading birds and palmipeds. The rivers abound with life; and the fish, though of poor quality, form an important part of the food of the people. They are caught, along with frogs and snakes, even in the mud of the rice fields. The crocodile is frequently met with, and adds another item to the native cuisine. This hot damp country swarms with reptiles, of which some species are very dangerous. Among these are the huge cobra di capello (Naja), many species of adders, and the immense python, which is of much use in destroying during the night all kinds of rats, including the intolerable musk-rat.

The forests furnish several kinds of timber for build-Ve ing. In the plains and valleys are numerous fruit-trees, F the banana, the guava, the papaw, the medlar-tree, the orange, the citron, and, most abundant of all, the cabbagepalm and the cocoa-tree, and the cinnamon of which Tongking furnishes a superior quality. The people of Anam are essentially agricultural. Besides rice, which is the chief production of the country, the cultivated lands furnish cotton, mulberry, sugar-cane, maize, betel-nut, and veget ables, especially potatoes, earth-nuts, and pepper. Tea is cultivated also, especially in Tong-king, but the people of Anam do not know how to prepare it.

To the traveller who pays only a brief visit the kingdom y of Anam appears ill provided with metals. If a mine be discovered the natives forbid access to it, and still more fre

precision the indications of tone without which the Anamese words have no sense for the natives. This system is universally adopted in French Cochin China, and the new generation, almost without exception, are able to read and write in Latin characters.

The Anamese are idle, incapable of deep emotion, and fond of case. They show much outward respect for superiors and parents, but they take great delight in mocking and banter. They cherish great love of their native soil and native village, and cannot long remain far from home. On the whole they are mild, or rather apathetic, but the facility with which they learn is remarkable. Buddhism, mingled with coarse popular beliefs, is the dominant creed, but the learned hold the doctrine of Confucius, and in truth the people of Anam are but slightly religious. Nevertheless, like their neighbours, the Chinese and the Cambodians, they have a great respect for the dead, and their worship almost entirely consists of ceremonies in honour of their ancestors. Like the Chinese they dispose of the body by inhumation. Among the savage tribes of the interior there is scarcely any idea of a God, and the superstitious practices to which they are addicted can scarcely be considered as the expression of a definite religious idea. Christianity counts 400,000 adherents in Tong-king and 5000 in Lower China.

The system of government in the empire of Anam is pure and absolute monarchy without any other constitution than powerful custom. The succession to the throne follows the order of primogeniture. Between the citizens there exists the most complete equality, since public offices are open to all, and there are no other social distinctions than those due to office or fortune. The sovereign, at once high priest and supreme judge, governs despotically with the assistance of six ministers. The army, or rather the military list, for a large part of the force exists only on paper, is composed of 80 regiments, with 500 men in each. It is recruited from Cochin China; Tong-king furnishes no soldiers. It is under the command of a commanderin-chief, a kind of constable of the kingdom, or grand marshal, who is personally responsible for the defence of the citadel of Hué. The marine, which has no ships, is composed of 30 regiments, under an admiral-in-chief, who is assisted by a vice-admiral and two rear-admirals, each of whom commands 10 regiments. The mandarins, as in China, form two distinct classes-the civil and the military. The first class are scholars who have passed literary examinations. The latter are chosen chiefly on account of physical fitness; and it is only in the highest ranks that well-educated respectable men are to be found. The people have a great regard for the learned, who have all received a higher moral education,-that of Confucius. The mandarins are divided into nine degrees, and each degree comprises two classes. Besides the French colony, the empire of Anam is divided into 24 provinces placed each under the authority of a governor. The province is subdivided into departments, arrondissements, cantons, and communes. The French colony, administered by a governor assisted by a privy council, comprehends the six ancient provinces of the south. It is now divided into four provinces, bearing the names of their chief cities,-Saigon, Mi-thô, Vinh-long, and Bassac. The provinces form together 19 inspectorships with an administrator of native affairs at the head of each.

The chief town and the ancient capital of Tong-king, Ila-noi, or Ke-cho (i.c., the market), situated on one of the branches of the Song-Coi, though at present greatly fallen, still contains at least 50,000 inhabitants. It possesses a very large citadel, which serves as the residence of the viceroy and of the special envoy or royal commissioner, who is the first authority in Tong-king. This citadel, at present

badly kept in repair and poorly equipped, was built in the course of last century according to plans furnished by European engineers. The provincial capitals of Hai-dzuong (30,000 inhabitants), Bac-Ninh, Nam-Dinh, likewise possess important citadels; and that of Minh-binh, also the chief town of a province, is the strongest of all Tong-king. Hué, or Phu-tua-tien, capital of the kingdom of Anam, is composed of two portions-the inner town, a vast fortress built on the Vauban system according to the plans of Freuch engineers, and occupied by the Government; and the outer town, which is inhabited by the mass of the population, who are estimated at 100,000 souls. Mention may also be made of Tourane and Quin-nhon, or Binh-dhinh, important ports open to European commerce. Saigon, the capital of the French colony, is composed of three towns:-1st, an Asiatic town, inhabited by Anamese husbandmen, fishers, or servants, by mercantile Chinamen, by Malays, Tagals, and Hindus engaged in various occupations; 2d, the town of the colonists; and 3d, the Government town, inhabited by the Government employés, administrators, officers, and physicians. The houses are mainly built of brick. Two gardens, one belonging to the governor and the other the botanical, overlook the town. The latter is very interesting, containing as it does a fine collection of trees and plants, both indigenous and exotic, as well as a very curious menagerie. At the port of Saigon 387 vessels entered and 398 left in 1874, which forms about half of the whole maritime trade in the colony. Eight miles from Saigon is the town of Cho-len (i.e., the great market), a Chinese town with an extensive commerce, and according to some writers 80,000, according to others 30,000 or 40,000 inhabitants. The other towns of the colony are Go-cong to the south-west of Saigon, where, in the midst of the rice fields, there lives an agricultural population, which presents in all its purity the true Anamese type; Mi-thô, a port on one of the arms of the Me kong, and the second town of the colony; the fort and the town of Vinhlong; the fort and town of Chaudoc; Ha-tien, on the Gulf of Siam, one of the most unhealthy places on the coast, inhabited by Chinese and Anamese; and at the Cape St Jacques, the military port and fort of Ba-ria.

It is difficult to state the exact number of the population F of the empire of Anam, and authors vary greatly in their estimates. The data which appear most worthy of credit give a total sum of 10 or 12 millions. As to the French colony, the last official census of which the results har been published was made in 1873; it gives 1,487,200 inhabitants, of whom 49,500 were Chinese and 82,700 Cambodians. The Europeans numbered 1114, exclusive of the Government officials and the garrison.

The Anamese, according to their own annals, are natives Es of the south of China. "In the 2d or 3d century before Abraham," says Père Legrand de la Liraije, "four barbarous tribes occupied the limits of the Chinese empire; to the south was the tribe of the Giao-chi." It is from this tribe that the Anamese claim to have descended; and at the time when history begins to acquire some degree of certitude, about 2357 before our era, the Chinese annals mention the Anamese under the name of Giao-chi, which signifies "with the big toe." According to native scholars the history of this epoch is of a legendary character. It results from their labours that for twenty centuries the race of Giao-chi was governed in vassalage to the empire by a dynasty (i Chinese origin, which lasted till 257 B.C. From that date till 110 before the Christian era the throne was held by two other vassal dynasties; and from 110 B.C. till 907 A.D. these dynasties were replaced by Chinese governors. In the beginning of the 10th century some of the native chiefs, weary of the Chinese rule, revolted; and their efforts were crowned with success. From 960 downwards,